Improvement in tie-rods for vehicle-axle skeins



J. W. LOWELL. Tie-Rod for Vehicle Axle Skeins.

No. 201,258; Patented March 12,1878.

N- PETERS, PHOTWLITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

JOHN w. OWELL, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY.

IMPROVEMENT IN TIE-RODS FOR VEHICLE-AXLE SKJE lNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,258, dated March12, 1878; application filed February 7, 1878. v v

Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and Territory of Utah, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Axle-Skcins, of

which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to a lubricating axleskein formed of wrought steelor iron, and having a continuous shell; and its object'is to produce askein capable of being firmly, though not too rigidly, attached to theaxle, and combining great strength and durability.

It consists in the combination, with an axle and a skein or skeins, of ayielding tie or brace rod or rods, serving to hold said skein inposition, and to brace the axle in such manner that breakage isprevented in case said axle warps, or is bent or sprung by beingsubjected to extraordinary strain, as is the case in heavily-ladenwagons, or in traveling over rough roads.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal centralsection of an axle-skein constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2is across-section on line mm, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe collar detached; Fig. 4, a full-length view of an axle having bothof its skeins connected and the axle braced. by a single yielding tieand bracerod. Fig. 5 is a view of a single skein attached to its axle,and braced by a short tierod attached to said axle independently of theopposite skein.

The letter A indicates the continuous shell of the skein. This shell isformedfromasuitably-shaped plate of wrought-iron or steel havin guniform thickness, and which, when bent as required,has its oppositelongitudinal edges welded together throu ghout their entire length. Inthe top of this shell is sunk a groove, a, extending from a point nearthe inner end of said shell outwardly to about the middle thereof, or itmay be extended farther, if desired, or not so far, its object being toconvey oil within the hub for lubrication.

I B is a plug arranged in the smaller end of the shell A, and having itsouter projecting portion b cylindrical and screw-threaded, while itsother portion flares toward its inner end, conforming to the conicalinterior of the skein, and is welded thereto. The screw-threaded portionof'this plug is adapted to receive anut, c. which holds the wheel-hub inplace upon the skein. The outward strain of the hub against this nut, as'applied to old forms' of skeins, has frequently broken" oif thescrew-threaded portion of the shell, which at this point has beengreatly weakened by having screw-threads cut therein' to engage withsaid nut, and the wall of said skein not braced within but by myconstruction it will be seen that I make this outer end the strongestportion of the skein, while, owing to the flaring wedge-like or conicalshape of the plug and corresponding form of the interior of the firmcontinuous shell A, it is impossible for said plug to be displacedoutwardly by any strain incident to a wagonwheel.

Through the center of the plug B is an aperture, through which passes ascrew, I, which takes into the wood of the axle and holds the skeinfirmly to its place, so that it will not be loosened or caused to slipby jolt-ing of the wagon, or by endwise strain upon the hub.

G designates the collar, against which the inner end of the hub plays.This collar has its opening formed to fit snugly with the taperingsurface of the shell A, and may be replaced by a collar of similarconstruction, but smaller size, which will not pass so far toward theinner end of the said shell or skein, the working length of which may,by the interchange of collars, be altered to suit hubs of differentlengths. This collar 0 consists of a flange, c and neck 0 and throughsaid neck is cut a passage, d, opening into an interior groove, 0, cutacross the interior surface of the collar. The neck 0 is provided with anozzle or screw-cup, f, surrounding the opening of the passage 11, andsaid cup or nozzle is closed by a suitable screw-plug, f. When thiscollar is properly in place, to which it may be driven or shrunk, itsgroove 0 should coincide with the groove a in the shell A, so that whenoil is poured into the cup fit will find its way to the interior ofthehub, and be distributed over the surface of the skein. Should one ofthese collars be broken, or bent or roughened, so as to be unfit foruse, it may, of course, be readily removed and replaced by another, thisadaptability of the collar for replacement being one of the conveniencesincidental to the separate construction of the collar and shell. Theunlar lug, D, projecting from the skein on the opposite end of the axleF. The middle portion of the rod E rests in a notch or open slot formedin a stud, g, projecting downward from the axle F, and near'each of itsends said rod is formed into coils E, so that when the rod and skeinsare in position, as shown in Fig. 4, and said rod tightened by the nuth, the elasticity of these coils will exert a continuous pressure tohold the skeins in place, While at the same time the rod forms a bracefor the axle, the coils allowing the said rod to yield to avoid breakageof any of the parts in case the axle should Warp or be subjected toextraordinary downward strain, as in the case of very heavy loading of aWagon, or in traveling over rough roads.

While I consider the arrangement of the coils in the rod E, as shown inFig. 4, preferable, I do not limit myself to this arrangement,

as a single coil only may be formed in this rod at its middle, or aseparate coil-spring may be placed on each or either end of a straighttie and brace rod, and confined between the nut or nuts' h and the lugor lugs D, without departing from the scope of my invention. Instead,also, of using a single rod having a coil of coils formed therein, andhaving its ends secured tothe opposite skeins of an axle, two short rodsmay be used, each having a coil formed therein,'and one end of each ofsaid rods being secured by a nut to a lug, D, projecting from the axle,as shown in Fig. 5, and the other ends extending through the lugs D ofthe skeins, as before explained.

1Having now described my invention, 1 c ann- 1. The combination, with anaxle and a skein

